


Cat Talk

by Davechicken



Series: Kylux - Fluff & Angst [202]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 09:34:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10568568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Davechicken/pseuds/Davechicken
Summary: Kylo thinks Millicent hates him. Hux proves otherwise.





	

“Kylo…”  


“I’m serious. If you won’t lock her in another room, I can’t keep visiting.”  


“I told you, I’d lock her out if we were… intimate, but I can’t just keep her penned up when you’re here. This is her _home_.”  


“Yeah, well, she doesn’t want to share it with me. Look at her! She’s _plotting something_.”  


“Probably true, but she isn’t evil. She’s not very extroverted, but she’s not _evil_.”  


Kylo slumps in his chair. “I tried to be nice to her.”

“I know you did, but… you need to speak her language. You can’t just expect to do what you want to an animal.”  


“I tried to pet her!”  


“You didn’t ask her if she wanted it.”  


“…right. I’m supposed to know how to talk in an alien language…”  


Hux sighs. “Don’t be so stubborn. How would you like it if the Stormtroopers suddenly just started hugging you?”

Okay, that is a bit of a point, he admits. “Fine, how do I ask her?”

“Put your hand down, and lightly move your fingers. Not too much, or she’ll think you’re pretending to be prey to play-fight.”  


Kylo does as he’s told, and Millicent cocks her head. She’s been watching him from her scratching-tower, and after a moment of gesturing, she comes close. 

“Don’t grab her. Let her initiate the contact. She’s much smaller than you, and you could easily hurt her, even if you won’t.”  


The cat lightly touches her nose to his fingers, then moves to brush her flank against his leg. She normally does that when he’s walking, making him concerned he’ll trip over her (and that maybe it’s her plan), but this time she comes back, and rubs the side of her head against his hand.

“What’s that?”  


“She’s marking you with her scent. She’s letting other cats know you’re part of her family. You can stroke her now - gently - two fingers behind her ears to start off with.”  


Kylo hates taking instructions, but it seems to be working. His fingers glide over short fur, and he hears the purring sound that normally Hux gets (or him if he’s first up in the morning and she wants feeding.) 

“There, see? She’s liking that. Sit back and pat the side of the couch.”  


“…why?”  


“She’s feeling cuddly. She’ll try to jump on your lap, to let you stroke her.”  


“So she doesn’t get to do the thing where she tries to take the skin off my hand?” Kylo asks, doing as he’s told.  


“She does that because she thinks you’re cat-playing. You don’t have fur, but if you did, those nips and scratches wouldn’t hurt you. She’d be bonding with you.”  


“…so she’s not attacking me when she does that?”  


“No. She thinks you’ve agreed to play, that’s why she gets upset when you yell. Just don’t pet her tummy.”  


Millicent leaps up, and walks across his lap from left to right (tail way up) for several moments before finally lying down. Her paws work weirdly under her, and she flicks her tail slowly.

“…what do I do now?” He tries not to sound panicky, he really does.  


“Stroke her slowly. Stroke along her back, but not hard. She’ll like it, and cuddle you.”  


Kylo can’t breathe for fear, and she looks up with a querulous _mew_ before he starts to stroke her, and then her eyes slit.

“She’s angry! She’s squinting at me!”

“Kylo, _relax_. She’s a predator. Closing her eyes is a sign of trust, not hate.”

“…oh.”

 His hand keeps stroking, and the purring gets more pronounced. It’s soothing, but he’s still a little on edge. 

“But she… always sits well away from me?”  


“She’s giving you space. If you make it clear you’d like her near, she’ll come if she feels like it. She’s not a Human, Kylo. You need to understand how _she_ likes things, and work with her, not against her.”  


Millicent wriggles, getting herself comfortable, and Kylo is never going to be able to stand up again. He daren’t upset her, not now she likes him. “Okay. You don’t need to lock her away. Except when we’re… you know.”

“I know,” Hux smiles. “And I told you, she really does like you. She has excellent taste.”  


Kylo feels sorry for ever not understanding, but he’ll make it up to her from now on, he promises inside of his head. Her eyes slit at him again, and he echoes the gesture, which gets him a sudden surge of paws and a cheek rubbed against his face. He laughs, and then she’s lying flat out over his chest, snuggling into the side of his neck.

Okay. Cats aren’t so bad after all.


End file.
